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Yusuke Naora (FFVII/VIII/X/XV art director) has resigned from Square Enix

Q

qualitydisc

Member
Naora just posted on Twitter that he has resigned from Square Enix after 24 years, effective September 30th. He says FFXV was his last project with the company.

Link: https://twitter.com/NaoraYusuke/status/782137499023925248

P9pOrOW.jpg


Here were his contributions to the Final Fantasy series, via @RedMakuzawa on Twitter (I think this was a slide from one of his Type-0 seminars)
Ctq6h7dUsAAEFEQ.jpg:large

This slide is from 2015; ignore the "TBA" for FFXV and don't drive-by post that it's been delayed again.
 
artsi

artsi

Member
Oh shit, Naora art directed mainline games are my favourites. But good for him if he felt like moving on.
 
B

BocoDragon

or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
A game that took 10 years is basically out the door. It's not surprising that this is a crossroads in life for many people on that project.
 
Z

Zanasea

Member
He says he's going to keep contributing illustrations and designs to Square Enix, but just wanted to try out new challenges as well.
 
Q

qualitydisc

Member
BocoDragon said:
A game that took 10 years is basically out the door. It's not surprising that this is a crossroads in life for many people on that project.
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure Naora was not attached for all 10 years, only after it changed from Versus to XV. Feel free to correct me on that if I'm mistaken.
 
mortal

mortal

Gold Member
Salute. Quite the respectable career.

I was under the impression he was working on FF Type Next, I guess nothing came of that project.
 
D

duckroll

Member
Welp, so much for Type-1! Although I guess he could work freelance with S-E in the future, like every other talented ex-S-E artist. :p
 
moozoom

moozoom

Member
Considering all the designs they must have scrapped during the multiples changes in direction of the project, I totally understand the frustration and fatigue.

Also, the stress of working on such an awaited game, with the management pressure and politics involved must be really difficult. I don't really like the art of FFXV but I wish him the best.
 
Perfo

Perfo

Thirteen flew over the cuckoo's nest
Going free lance? If so it doesn't mean itll not work again for square Enix.
 
Z

Zanasea

Member
qualitydisc said:
I'm pretty sure Naora was not attached for all 10 years, only after it changed from Versus to XV. Feel free to correct me on that if I'm mistaken.
Click to expand...

Correct, Naora presumably started working on XV when the Type-0 team was merged with the Versus team, around July 2012.
 
A

Aters

Member
Based on my almost nonexistent Japanese skill, the decision has something to do with his family? Anyway good luck to him, loved his works.
 
D

duckroll

Member
Oregano said:
Cydesignation hiring?
Click to expand...

Doesn't seem likely in the short term at least. He says that after 24 years at Square Enix, he's returning back to his hometown in Izumo to be with his family. So it doesn't really make sense for him to leave one Tokyo company to join another Tokyo company. He'll probably just freelance for a while, or set up his own design company there maybe. Long term... who knows. Sounds like he really wants a break.
 
artsi

artsi

Member
Aters said:
Based on my almost nonexistent Japanese skill, the decision has something to do with his family? Anyway good luck to him, loved his works.
Click to expand...

"Thinking about my family, I've decided to return to my hometown Izumo."
 
I

Inuhanyou

Believes Dragon Quest is a franchise managed by Sony
- J - D - said:
Are there actual employees who have worked on this game continuously for 10 years?
Click to expand...

You can't really consider it the same game. Its not. A lot of staff was changed/removed/added around in the cancellation of Versus and renaming of what was kept of the project to 15. Because there was a lot more staff needed to put it at full priority as a numbered title.

And Nomura had to change certain things as well from the original concept to 15 in order to fit a mainline title, even though i think he had in mind keeping things more similar to what he originally envisioned than what they are going to turn out in the final result, which makes sense considering him and those people working on the original concept have not been on it for a long time.

Jun Akiyama got demoted to working on Kingsglaive instead of the main game, which makes me think there aren't going to be that many CG sequences in the game. Fine by me, it would look weird putting Luna in CG after already having a kingsglaive design, they would have to have the two designs side by side which would be very strange in the same game.
 
Q

qualitydisc

Member
- J - D - said:
Are there actual employees who have worked on this game continuously for 10 years?
Click to expand...

Yoko Shimomura? Although even she's a contractor.
Interesting story -- one of the original CG artists on Versus quit due to stress and then got roped back into the project when his new company got hired to help with Kingsglaive.

As for full time employees.... maybe there are a few who worked on it the entire time but I don't know any by name.
 
D

duckroll

Member
Inuhanyou said:
Jun Akiyama got demoted to working on Kingsglaive instead of the main game, which makes me think there aren't going to be that many CG sequences in the game.
Click to expand...

?!?!?!!?!?!?!?!?!

I don't think Jun Akiyama worked on Kingsglaive? He also doesn't have anything to do with CG work... Are you thinking of someone else?
 
I

Inuhanyou

Believes Dragon Quest is a franchise managed by Sony
jiggle said:
huge loss for SE

is Nomura the only old time art talent left?
Click to expand...

For FF15? He doesn't design FF15 designs at this point, all that's left are ones he and Roberto ferrari made a long time ago that ended up being repurposed.
 
I

Inuhanyou

Believes Dragon Quest is a franchise managed by Sony
duckroll said:
?!?!?!!?!?!?!?!?!

I don't think Jun Akiyama worked on Kingsglaive? He also doesn't have anything to do with CG work... Are you thinking of someone else?
Click to expand...

Lol, yeah i fucked up. I meant Takeshi Nozue. Shit how did i do that
 
D

duckroll

Member
Inuhanyou said:
Lol, yeah i fucked up. I meant Takeshi Nozue. Shit how did i do that
Click to expand...

Nozue still worked on FFXV though. He wasn't "demoted" or anything. My understanding is he was a key bridge between Visualworks and the regular dev staff on the game when they started using CG production pipelines on realtime assets in the game.

Btw, if Akiyama directed Kingsglaive, it would actually be watchable. :p :p :p :p
 
O

Oregano

Member
duckroll said:
Doesn't seem likely in the short term at least. He says that after 24 years at Square Enix, he's returning back to his hometown in Izumo to be with his family. So it doesn't really make sense for him to leave one Tokyo company to join another Tokyo company. He'll probably just freelance for a while, or set up his own design company there maybe. Long term... who knows. Sounds like he really wants a break.
Click to expand...

That's not too surprising. FFXV must be the most stressful project any of the team have ever worked on.

Actually FFXI is probably the last FF that didn't have development issues(although I'm not even sure about that).
 
I

Inuhanyou

Believes Dragon Quest is a franchise managed by Sony
duckroll said:
Nozue still worked on FFXV though. He wasn't "demoted" or anything. My understanding is he was a key bridge between Visualworks and the regular dev staff on the game when they started using CG production pipelines on realtime assets in the game.

Btw, if Akiyama directed Kingsglaive, it would actually be watchable. :p :p :p :p
Click to expand...

So...why did they have a previously CG only guy direct this film? A CG guy of all people? Could they really not find any actual directors to direct?

As for Akiyama, no lies detected
 
D

DKHF

Member
He had a long and impressive run at SE.

Wonder who is the FFVII Remake art director? Maybe Isamu Kamikokuryo (though he is working on XV too).
 
D

duckroll

Member
Inuhanyou said:
So...why did they have a previously CG only guy direct this film? A CG guy of all people? Could they really not find any actual directors to direct?

As for Akiyama, no lies detected
Click to expand...

Nozue was the co-director of Advent Children and Kingsglaive was apparently an idea for FFXV he pitched and Tabata supported him. It was his pet project. Nozue is even credited for the story concept of Kingsglaive iirc.
 
Q

qualitydisc

Member
Bladenic said:
They still have Isamu Ksomething, they're fine on that front. I'm pretty sure he worked on XV with Naora too.
Click to expand...

Isamu Kamikokuryo is very talented and I wouldn't be surprised to see him fill the art director role in future titles. (Wikipedia says his title for FFXV is "World art director")
 
I

Inuhanyou

Believes Dragon Quest is a franchise managed by Sony
DKHF said:
He had a long and impressive run at SE.

Wonder who is the FFVII Remake art director? Maybe Isamu Kamikokuryo (though he is working on XV too).
Click to expand...

<_< Does that really need to be a question
 
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